How much Screen Time Is Good for My Kids?

Pediatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, clinicians, and educators are expected to be experts on all types of childhood issues. As a result , parents who have questions about the impact of screen time on their children come to these “experts” and want answers. They want to know how much screen time is good for their kids, what type of content kids should be consuming, and how to deal with excessive screen time. However, very few of these “experts” received any training that pertains to screen time, so they are left to learn about this on their own or to provide their own informed (or uninformed) opinions.

Most child care professionals have been faced with questions about children’s’ screen time, and many recent studies reflect what parents are telling us.Common Sense Media conducted a 2015 study that found that teens and preteens spend about 9 hours a day with digital media. Much of their awake time is engaged with mobile technologies (primarily phones and tablets), accounting for 41% of all screen time among tweens and 46% among teenagers. Those pictures of teenagers sitting together but staring into their phones are representative of what is really happening.

Parents are concerned about this, so they speak to child care professionals. A recent study of nearly 2000 parents found that the most pressing public health issue for their children was excessive screen time. Anecdotally in my work as a child clinical psychologist, I have found parents to be confused, concerned, and confounded about the impact of so much screen time on their kids.

Our team at LearningWorks for Kids has been examining concerns about how much screen time is good for kids for many years. I’d like to think that we have a well-informed opinion based upon our work with kids and families and also examination of the research and being up to date with the newest books on this subject. My interns have compiled the following list of new books on this topic in order to help clinicians educate themselves in this area.

Here are some of my favorite screen time books, listed by the most recently published:

Tracks the rise of behavioral addiction and why people become addicted to new products. Explains how to harness addictive products for the good to improve how we communicate with each other, spend and save our money, and set boundaries between work and play and how we can mitigate their most damaging effects on our well-being and the health and happiness of our children.

Depicts ways to use technology to promote, rather than detract from, our well-being. Provides an essential resource for those wanting to create a more empowered relationship with technology in the digital age.

Reveals the complex physiological, social, and cultural ramifications of living in the digital age and shows the stressful impacts as well as the potential benefits that living in a digital lifestyle has to offer.

From Amazon: “A Parent’s Guide to Video Games was developed specifically to help parents better understand if, how, and why video game play can impact a child’s physical, social, and psychological well-being.”

Counters the view that technology and screen time can teach teens and be a positive influence through a Biblical standpoint and shares success stories of families who have cut back on technology and prioritized each other.

Details a four-week intervention that can produce a shift in brain function without cost or medication. Provides hope for parents who feel their children have been misdiagnosed or inappropriately medicated by presenting an alternative explanation for their children’s difficulties and a concrete plan for treating them.

From Amazon: “This book offers something unique to the millions of people who play or design games: how to use an understanding of psychology to be a better part of their gaming communities, to avoid being manipulated when they shop and play, and to get the most enjoyment out of playing games.”

From Amazon: “Parents will learn the best practices to guide children to understand and control their attention — and to recognize and resist when their attention is being snatched This approach can be modified for kids of all ages.”

Describes the importance of a healthy “Play Diet” in a world dominated by screens. Explores how digital media can be used to promote problem solving and executive-functioning skills crucial for 21st century children.

Provides instruction on how to replace mindless screen time with meaningful family time, establish simple boundaries that make a huge difference, learn healthy ways to occupy children while they parents get thing done, and more.

Offers early childhood educators and professional development providers in pre-service, in-service, and continuing education settings a thought-provoking guide to effective, appropriate, and intentional use of technology with young children.

From Amazon:“In Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, Willard shows [how strategies] can be translated from the real world to the cyber world, [without having to learn] advanced computer skills to put them into effect.”